Escapist

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From a largely unknown status in ancient times through the low points of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been eventful but are they really in safe hands?

Police records show high incidence of crimes against women in India. The National Crime Records Bureau reported in 1998 that the growth rate of crimes against women would be higher than the population growth rate by 2010. Earlier, many cases were not registered with the police due to the social stigma attached to rape and molestation cases. Official statistics show that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of reported crimes against women and some of them are:

Sexual harassmentHalf of the total number of crimes against women reported in 1990 related to molestation and harassment at the workplace. Eve teasing is a euphemism used for sexual harassment or molestation of women by men. Many activists blame the rising incidents of sexual harassment against women on the influence of "Western culture". In 1987, The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act was passed to prohibit indecent representation of women through advertisements or in publications, writings, paintings, figures or in any other manner. In 1997, in a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court of India took a strong stand against sexual harassment of women in the workplace. The Court also laid down detailed guidelines for prevention and redressal of grievances. The National Commission for Women subsequently elaborated these guidelines into a Code of Conduct for employers.

DowryIn 1961, the Government of India passed the Dowry Prohibition Act, making the dowry demands in wedding arrangements illegal. However, many cases of dowry-related domestic violence, suicides and murders have been reported. In the 1980s, numerous such cases were reported.

In 1985, the Dowry Prohibition (maintenance of lists of presents to the bride and bridegroom) rules were framed. According to these rules, a signed list of presents given at the time of the marriage to the bride and the bridegroom should be maintained. The list should contain a brief description of each present, its approximate value, the name of whoever has given the present and his/her relationship to the person. However, such rules are hardly enforced.

A 1997 report claimed that at least 5,000 women die each year because of dowry deaths, and at least a dozen die each day in 'kitchen fires' thought to be intentional. The term for this is "bride burning" and is criticized within India itself. Amongst the urban educated, such dowry abuse has reduced considerably but not stopped! The reason? Well their is some lower class Indian rats, who are proliferating in milllions everyday, are here on this face of earth to mess with so-called desi policies to keep the blaze on and at last. show their back to the government! Alas, what are we doing?

Child marriageChild marriage has been traditionally prevalent in India and continues to this day. Historically, young girls would live with their parents till they reached puberty. In the past, the child widows were condemned to a life of great agony, shaving heads, living in isolation, and shunned by the society. Although child marriage was outlawed in 1860, it is still a common practice.

According to UNICEF’s “State of the World’s Children-2009” report, 47% of India's women aged 20–24 were married before the legal age of 18, with 56% in rural areas. Shouldn't we do something about it and make every girls enjoy their life to the fullest. give importance to their higher degrees and continue to live in a peacefuly socio-economic face just like every Indian men?

Female infanticides and sex selective abortionsIndia has a highly masculine sex ratio, the chief reason being that many women die before reaching adulthood. Tribal societies in India have a less masculine sex ratio than all other caste groups. This, in spite of the fact that tribal communities have far lower levels of income, literacy and health facilities. It is therefore suggested by many experts, that the highly masculine sex ratio in India can be attributed to female infanticides and sex-selective abortions.

All medical tests that can be used to determine the sex of the child have been banned in India, due to incidents of these tests being used to get rid of unwanted female children before birth. Female infanticide (killing of girl infants) is still prevalent in some rural areas. The abuse of the dowry tradition has been one of the main reasons for sex-selective abortions and female infanticides in India. And what Indian Government is doing? Watching everyday foeticide! My question is, did banning medical tests to determine sex really worked?

Domestic violenceThe incidents of domestic violence are higher among the lower Socio-Economic Classes (SECs).[citation needed] The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 came into force on October 26, 2006. But are they enough? No .. they aren't!

TraffickingThe Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act was passed in 1956. However many cases of trafficking of young girls and women have been reported. These women are either forced into prostitution, domestic work or child labor. And what is upto India and the policies implemented by the Indian Goovernment? Well at present (since last 2-3 years) Indian Government is busy, wasting billions of its dollars, our own taxes into infested sci-fi infrastructures and driving India, towards a brand commonwealth country, with a global standard reputation at the cost of such indiscrimination.

After elaborating this statistics (with the help of Wikipedia Comunity), I am urging Indian President, Smt. Pratibha Devsingh Patil, to brush up already sanctioned policies to support Woman and provide security to the maximum extent in order to ensure them an euphoric life ahead....

Now more than ever the women of Iran deserve universal support! I am writting something that indeed I dont like to write because I dont like politics and its wyrd and uncanny branches that supports corruption, depravation and old meaningless systems, a system that is not meant for its own countrywoman's, a system that is MEN oriented, not MAN oriented ( I feel shame to call all these diplomatic jargons, MAN) but there is something called Enough ....

The suffragettes have been an inspiration for countless women around the world. This month it will be exactly 80 years since their momentous struggle led to the Bill for full women's Right To Vote being presented to Parliament.

Women in most of the developing countries are leading a discrimination-free utopia, a law, for them. This is what necessitated to be done in Iran - laws that protect and empower their own countrywomen! Instead, what had been implemented are laws for men that is institutionaly bias. The law looks disfavourably on Iranian women - literally with a male face.

Since the 1979 Revolution, Iranian women have been forbidden from serving as judges. Why? In Iran a woman's evidence in court is worth half that of a man. Why? Men can have multiple wives, while younger girls are forced to marry, older men. Why? Sentences of stoning to death for adultery are still imposed. Why? Divorce is accomplishable only and only after the consent of a selfish husband. Why?

Such whole disproportionate on women is indeed a practice denounced as grotesque and horrific and it is clearly stated in holy Al' Quraan (An-Nisa 4:19) that you are forbidden to inherit women against their will, and you should not treat them with harshness and that you live with them honorably. If you dislike them, it may be that you dislike a thing and who obeys, Allah brings through it a great deal of good ..

Well, what are the 35 million women and girls in Iran able to do about this? Iran should be proud of their women. Instead, the authorities are out to get them and treat them harshly? And than a Solitary Confinement. Why? Dozens of equality campaigners in Iran are either already behind bars or facing imprisonment in what Amnesty calls an “acute” campaign of harassment from the Iranian authorities.

I have a request for President Ahmadinejad. What about unlocking the fantastic potential of the Iranian woman? A hundred years ago women in Iran battled to establish girls' schools in a fight that preceded even Emmeline Pankhurst and her redoubtable sister campaigners.A century later, with educated young Iranian women making up two thirds of university students. You are a nation bursting with female ability! Why not use them, the woman power, unlocking the hidden beauty of Persia and make the country - an integrated super power, where man and woman share and get equal rights? So that no more woman shed tears .. So that Persia stand tall ....